LOS ANGELES — Just last week, the Conference Board, which tracks consumer confidence, offered a
gloomy forecast for the coming year.

Apparently, gamers neglected to check out the key economic indicators before rushing stores to
buy the $400 PlayStation 4.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said it sold 1 million of its new video-game consoles within
the first 24 hours of the device’s becoming available on Friday.

“Sales remain very strong in North America, and we expect continued enthusiasm as we launch the
PlayStation 4 in Europe and Latin America on Nov. 29,” Andrew House, president and group chief
executive of Sony Computer Entertainment, said in a statement.

Colin Sebastian of Baird Research has projected that the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One,
which goes on sale on Friday, will sell 5 million units before the end of the year.

Both game systems are vying for the attention of game aficionados, who are among the first to
buy the newest consoles. Sony has positioned the newest iteration of its PlayStation as “built for
gamers,” whereas Microsoft is describing its system as an entertainment hub that does more than
play games.

Sony’s lineup of games at launch includes
Killzone,
Shadow Fall and
Knack. It also offers access to entertainment options that include Sony’s own Music
Unlimited as well as Amazon Instant Video, Netflix and Hulu Plus.